OpenRouter as a BYOK source#
OpenRouter is a supported preset for bringing your own model: add your OpenRouter API key in Settings → Models, and LumenFlow talks to it the same way it talks to any OpenAI-compatible provider endpoint. See API Key Management for how the key itself is stored and rotated, and Workspace AI source for how BYOK fits alongside managed inference.
What's available comes from OpenRouter, live#
When you add or refresh an OpenRouter connection, LumenFlow asks OpenRouter directly which models your key can currently use, and what each one costs — it doesn't consult a hardcoded list. Every model in that response carries its own live pricing, including whether OpenRouter is currently offering it at no cost.
This means:
- The list of available models changes as OpenRouter's catalog changes. A model present today can be removed, repriced, or replaced by OpenRouter tomorrow, and your workspace's picker reflects that on the next refresh.
- A model marked free today is not a permanent promise. Providers — OpenRouter included — offer free access to specific models as a time-limited or capacity-limited arrangement, not a standing commitment. LumenFlow surfaces whatever OpenRouter's catalog reports at the moment you look, and nothing in that surface should be read as "this will always be free."
- If OpenRouter's catalog is temporarily unreachable, LumenFlow shows you the last catalog it successfully fetched, clearly marked as potentially stale, rather than inventing a list. If nothing has ever been fetched successfully, it says so and asks you to try again or enter a model id manually.
Checking current pricing and limits yourself#
Because availability and pricing are OpenRouter's to set, the source of truth is always OpenRouter's own live dashboard and documentation, not a number quoted in LumenFlow's docs or by Sidekick in conversation. Refresh the catalog in Settings → Models any time you want an up-to-date read before committing a workflow to a specific model.
BYOK failures are surfaced, never silently swapped#
If your OpenRouter key stops working, hits a rate limit, or the specific model you configured becomes unavailable, LumenFlow surfaces that failure to you rather than quietly routing your request to a different, possibly paid, model on your behalf. You decide what to do next — pick another model from the live catalog, or fix the key.